AMU vice-chancellor on October 30 had declared indefinite closure of the university with the instruction that all hostels be evacuated within 48 hours of the order. The decision came on the third day of the indefinite hunger strike announced by the AMU Students Union leaders demanding immediate resignation of the VC and transfer of the proctor for allegedly "conniving" with the district administration to downplay the cold blooded murder of a BSc first year student, Shahnawaz. Since then 19 AMU students have been suspended and declared out-of-bounds from the campus.
AMU students with support from different Delhi-based university students then continued their protest at the Jantar Mantar demanding immediate lifting of the closure order, restoration of academic normalcy, an end to the 'dictatorial' moves of the VC and restoration of students' union and 'campus democracy'.
Stating the development at AMU as a bigger game plan to quell students' basic rights to protest on the campus as is evident from government's continuous denial of right to students' unions in campuses like Jamia, BHU, Allahabad University, student leader Sandeep Singh of JNU said: "Sachhar Committee has exposed the abysmal state of educational opportunities of the minorities in the country even after 60 years of independence. In such a situation of implicit discrimination faced by them, the crackdown in AMU is all the more condemnable, as AMU at least remained one avenue of accessible and quality higher education for them. By disrupting AMU's academic and democratic culture, the VC has disgraced and attacked this limited space too.''
Other students' organizations also condemned AMU administration stating that this was an attempt to muffle the voices of students. NSUI activist Bharat Kumar said: "Not only did the AMU administration reacted insensitively to the cold-blooded murder of its student, it closed the university because students came out to protest. We have seen this happening across campuses. Instead of implementing the Lyngdoh's commission recommendations in letter and spirit, AMU administration is using it as a tool to kill the democratic process on the campus.''
source: TOI